the coworker who once brought you soup when you were sick, or will they hold a grudge forever if they’ re excluded? Why does every aunt you’ ve ever met seem to have a strong opinion about who absolutely must be invited? And then there are the surprise plus-ones— who knew your cousin had recently adopted an emotional support dog and assumed it would get a seat at the reception?
Once you’ ve sorted the logistics of who gets to witness your big day, you enter the gladiator ring of wedding vendors. The florist assures you that peonies are in season— except for the precise week of your wedding, and the baker informs you that your dream cake design defies the laws of gravity. You’ ll also discover the existence of a tiny but powerful individual called a wedding coordinator, who speaks in timelines and has the ability to turn minor catastrophes into mere blips on the radar.
Photo by Carly Rae Hobbins on Unsplash
Then there’ s cake tasting, a beautiful but dangerous task. At first, it’ s magical— a world of buttercream and ganache with free samples galore. But before you know it, you’ re swirling in a vortex of flavor profiles, debating the merits of lemon chiffon versus vanilla cake with raspberry filling. While we’ re at it, let’ s not forget the logistics: Can gravity-defying fondant towers actually exist? Why does the baker need six months’ notice for something that’ s mostly sugar?
Don’ t even get me started on wedding fashion. You thought finding the perfect dress was the hardest part? Think again. There’ s the endless hunt for exactly the right shade of“ dusty rose”— because apparently, there are 56 variations. The rollercoaster ride inevitably leads to a cycle of fittings, alterations, and the very real possibility that someone in your bridal party will insist on donning a pair of pink Converse under their gown, because“ no one will see them.” And let’ s not forget the frantic last-minute search for a new suit for the ring bearer, because apparently, he hit a growth spurt after last month’ s fitting. Amidst the fabric swatches and adjustment appointments, you may find yourself teetering on the edge of asking whether matching bridesmaids’ shoes truly matters or if embracing whimsy is simply part of the experience.
Of course, one of the greatest wedding-planning quirks is how every minor disaster somehow turns into a legendary family tale. The time the invitations were accidentally printed with the wrong date— that’ ll live on for years. When the DJ had a playlist malfunction and played the“ Cha Cha Slide” three times in a row? Iconic. And, of course, the classic seating arrangement swap that resulted in a wedding-day diplomatic crisis— one that required an on-the-spot intervention and a strategically placed, pearl-laden, peony centerpiece to serve as a physical barrier.
But in the end, despite the spreadsheets, the overwhelming number of emails, and the moments of sheer disbelief, wedding planning is really about love— and the slightly ridiculous lengths we go through to make a single day unforgettable. So, here’ s to the wild ride, the minor mishaps, and the glorious realization that even if nothing goes exactly as planned, at least there will be cake, in all its stratospheric raspberry layers.
JULY 2025 MoultrieScene 53